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Evolution of the Memorial reverse cent....any interest?

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Is there much collector interest in the origin and evolution of the 1959 Memorial cent design? I have the US Mint project files and related data, but it seems kind of "dull" compared to other coinage design changes.

 

This would have to be an article - not enough happened to allow a more extensive treatment.

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The phrase "Trolley Car" is not in the mint documents - unfortunately. (I guess ol' Abe was the ticket taker...)

 

:)

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Is there much collector interest in the origin and evolution of the 1959 Memorial cent design? I have the US Mint project files and related data, but it seems kind of "dull" compared to other coinage design changes.

 

This would have to be an article - not enough happened to allow a more extensive treatment.

I would definitely have an interest Roger. Not a "book" interest but definitely an extensive article interest.

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I think I read somewhere that the original memorial reverse design had stars in the field and the words "Lincoln Memorial" underneath the building. I would be interested in seeing a photo of that design, if one exists. :)

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  • Member: Seasoned Veteran

The original model for the Memorial Reverse was more elaborate, and a photo of that plaster appears in Don Taxay's book The U. S. Mint and Coinage. I believe it was he who first described the Memorial image as a trolley car.

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Roger, your research is always interesting and well done, and well written. I don't collect moderns but I would still be interested in such an article. There is so much background information around many coins which isn't known and which coin geeks/numismatists would like to know, and it is researchers like you we depend on.

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Roger, look forward to your article on the Lincoln Memorial Reverse Cent when you're able to find time to write and publish the piece. I wonder how many years down the road until future collectors will be pulling these out of circulation to save as occurred with it's predecessor. Who knows, perhaps cents will be cost prohibitive to produce in the not so distant future and may be pulled sooner than later!

 

I received your book last month; From Mine to Mint, and am very pleased with the purchase. Also, look forward to your research on '36 - '42 proofs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks!

The 1936-42 Proof Coin book is with the printer although they have not put it in the production schedule (as of the 19th).

 

Just from looking at pocket change, it seems that a lot of pre-1982 cents have disappeared. What have others noticed?

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Who knows, perhaps cents will be cost prohibitive to produce in the not so distant future and may be pulled sooner than later!

Cents have been cost prohibitive to produce for about 12 years now.

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The original model for the Memorial Reverse was more elaborate, and a photo of that plaster appears in Don Taxay's book The U. S. Mint and Coinage. I believe it was he who first described the Memorial image as a trolley car.

I don't see any pictures of the original plaster, just this scathing review:

 

Unfortunately, the conception is ill-suited to a small coin. On the bill, the regularity of the outlines is broken up by a chiaroscuro within and surrounding the building. There are no shadows on the coin, and there is no feeling of depth. The details are lost, and what remains looks at a glance more like a trolley car. It is a poor memorial to Lincoln, to Brenner, and to the Commission of Fine Arts which opposed its adoption.
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Taxay got a couple of things mixed up.

 

The CFA did not, strictly, oppose the Memorial design - they did not want any change to the reverse, but admitted that the Memorial was the best after removing some stars and the name "Lincoln Memorial."

 

There were 23 proposed designs - finding those will be the major research challenge.

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I've been pulling pre-1982 pennies from pocket change nearly every day since mid '90s and it's clear they are nearly gone. Don't see too many left. I see maybe a couple a week now. I think I must have about a hundred pounds now and would like to find a buyer, but who ?

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Thanks to all who provided suggestions and comments. If I can locate the original designs, it's probably useful topic for general US coinage information.

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I can remember as a kid the long awaited "Memorial Cent" of 1959 to go into circulation, my Dad showed me the first one he got in pocket change. We ogled over the shiny penny ( I know, I know, they are not pennies but as a kid, there was 'penny candy' so I was not going to argue) and admired the design of the Lincoln Memorial.

 

Abe was very, very small, almost a design less blob so you had to use your imagination. We learned about the new cent in our 'Weekly Reader'

 

Two Lincoln cents bought a carton of milk at school, chocolate or white.

 

Tell me more about this coin because frankly I already forgot most of it.

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Ah, yes....the famous "My Weekly Reader." A great enrichment source for kids across the country and a way to promote reading and critical thinking skills. My Mom, a 3rd grade teacher, made sure every kid had each issue - including paying for the subscription herself when some kids couldn't afford it.

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This does not relate to the theme of the origin of the Lincoln Memorial reverse, but that design changed my life, for the better.

 

In January of 1973 I was working as a cashier at the trucking company that my father drove for. On Jan. 6 one of the drivers turned in a brand new 1973 cent, so I swapped it for a cent out of my pocket. Later as I looked at it I noticed that the reverse had been modified a bit, and the designer's initials FG were twice as big as they were before.

 

I knew this was no big deal, as the Mint had remodeled the obverse just a few years before in 1969, but I thought it might be worth a paragraph or two in Coin World, where I had already decided that I wanted to work someday. When I got home I addressed an envelope to them, wrapped the coin in a piece of paper with a note about the design change, and dropped it in the mail in the morning.

 

You know the expression "slow news day?" Must have been one when it got there as it took up most of the front page. They gave me credit for the "discovery."

 

Later that year when Coin World was looking to hire a proofreader with numismatic knowledge, the editor was looking through the employment applications on hand and she remembered my name from that story. I started there in December and everything I have ever accomplished in numismatics derived from that.

 

TD

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This does not relate to the theme of the origin of the Lincoln Memorial reverse, but that design changed my life, for the better.

 

In January of 1973 I was working as a cashier at the trucking company that my father drove for. On Jan. 6 one of the drivers turned in a brand new 1973 cent, so I swapped it for a cent out of my pocket. Later as I looked at it I noticed that the reverse had been modified a bit, and the designer's initials FG were twice as big as they were before.

 

I knew this was no big deal, as the Mint had remodeled the obverse just a few years before in 1969, but I thought it might be worth a paragraph or two in Coin World, where I had already decided that I wanted to work someday. When I got home I addressed an envelope to them, wrapped the coin in a piece of paper with a note about the design change, and dropped it in the mail in the morning.

 

You know the expression "slow news day?" Must have been one when it got there as it took up most of the front page. They gave me credit for the "discovery."

 

Later that year when Coin World was looking to hire a proofreader with numismatic knowledge, the editor was looking through the employment applications on hand and she remembered my name from that story. I started there in December and everything I have ever accomplished in numismatics derived from that.

 

 

Way cool.

 

Thanks for the story(ies).

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Who knows, perhaps cents will be cost prohibitive to produce in the not so distant future and may be pulled sooner than later!

Cents have been cost prohibitive to produce for about 12 years now.

 

They should have been abandoned in 1974 but to continue them after 1982 is simply insanity. They are an albatross on the economy. They shift cost of cent production onto other coins to make them appear to be cheaper than they really are.

 

We live in a world that runs on waste, inefficiency, and greed. The thinking is that we can waste all the money in the world as long as we do it a few cents at a time.

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